Marijuana Church Founder "Too Dangerous" For Bail

Roger Christie, founder of The Hawaii Cannabis Ministry (THC Ministry), has been ordered held without bail after being arrested along with 13 current or former employees and growers by the DEA on July 8. He and the others are charged with marijuana trafficking offenses related to their alleged distribution of marijuana as a sacrament at the ministry.

Roger Christie (courtesy thc-ministry.org)

Christie had been raided by the DEA in March, with agents seizing cash and marijuana at that time, but not arresting him. Federal authorities allege that after that raid, Christie recommenced his marijuana distribution at the ministry. He and the others were secretly indicted last month.

Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang originally ordered Christie held without bail at federal prosecutors' request. Christie and his public defender, Matthew Winter, last week filed a motion seeking his release, citing the nonviolent nature of the offenses, Christie's longstanding ties to the community, his lack of a criminal record, and his willingness to abstain from marijuana use or distribution pending trial.

A federal pre-trial services report also recommended that Christie be freed on bail. But prosecutors fought back with a 46-page memorandum in opposition. Because Christie allegedly recommenced marijuana distribution after the March raids, that made him "a danger to the community and... no conditions/combination of conditions could assure the safety of the community," they wrote.

On Friday, US District Court Judge Alan Kay agreed with prosecutors. Now, Christie will be held behind bars until trial because the pot-loving minister is "too dangerous" to be freed on bail.

This is rediculous. Of course I shouldn't have to say it but this is obviously a federal set up. Why is everyone so naive about marijuana? Pick up a Terrence Mckenna book or something, get some knowledge while you all still can.

Just how many hours were spent setting up this "dangerous", medicinal-herb-gardening minister? How many of your tax dollars were spent trying to cage people for having the "wrong leaf " in their cigarettes and sharing them with a friend? How much more will be spent trying to convict a man, who only wishes to heal others, for the "crime" of using a herbal medicine instead of supporting the huge pharmaceutical industry?

Most of you know very little about the medical facts about cannabis. May I help you correct that problem? I collect MMJ studies and articles from reliable sources. I would like to share my collection with you. It can be found at this small cannabis site-

It goes on for 420 pages like that. Diabetes, Alzheimer's, fibro, MS, Parkinson's, epilepsy..... it goes on and on! After you finish reading even just the titles in my list, you may end up thinking more like Roger- that cannabis is a holy, heaven sent, healing herb! Please educate yourself. Thank you.

They do their best to destroy the peaceful people of our corrupted police state nation. WHY? The message is clear, you are nothing. We are entitled to destroy the least of you. Be the wrong color or religion or think the wrong thought and we will come for you. Deadly twisted Christian soldiers. If they hunt down and attack the weak, the sick, the dying, and the devout, what do you think they would do to you? They destroy without thought or conscience peace loving Americans thousands of times a month. They "disappear" citizens of foreign countries to the prisons in the States to let the rest of us and the world know their is no depth they will not sink to... for our own good of course.

The prosecutors seem to be the greater danger to the community. But when the world is ran by actual criminals, what should one expect but this sort of diatribe. By the way, my definition of criminal is external to any legal systems officialdom. A crime is a crime no matter what anyone says. It is an objective proposition.